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What started as a protest against a quota system for government jobs in Bangladesh has turned into widespread looting and rioting across the country, with the minority community, mainly Hindus, coming under attack. With Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India and an interim government still to be formed, videos of temples being set on fire and houses and businesses of Hindus being attacked have flooded social media.
However, at the same time, there have been visuals of Bangladesh's Muslim clerics guarding a Hindu temple in Cumilla. Another video showed a group of students protecting the Dhakeshwari Mandir in Dhaka.
A report in Bangladesh's Daily Star said houses and business establishments of Hindus were attacked by mobs and their valuables were also looted in at least 27 districts on Monday. The Jammat-e-Islami has admitted to targeting Hindu temples.
An ISKCON temple in Meherpur, located in Bangladesh's Khulna division, and a Kali temple were vandalised and set on fire.
"One of our ISKCON centres (rented) in Meherpur was burnt, including the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra Devi. Three devotees who lived in the centre somehow managed to escape and survive," ISKCON spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das tweeted.
Hindu councillor Haradhan Roy of the Rangpur City Corporation was also reportedly killed on Sunday in one of the deadliest days since the start of the protest. Another councillor, identified as Kajal Roy, was also reportedly lynched. Over 100 people died on Sunday as protesters called for Sheikh Hasina's resignation and clashed with the police.
The lynching of Haradhan Roy was brought to light by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister. "As a Bengali Hindu and a descendant of refugees, find this particularly chilling," he tweeted.
A video, shared by a Hindu activist in Bangladesh, shows a girl in distress pleading for help in Pirojpur district. Another video shows a temple in Navgraha Bari in Chittagong being burnt by a violent mob.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, in a post on X, has listed 54 attacks on temples, houses and establishments of the Hindu community. These include the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, which promotes cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh.
The widespread attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are the most severe since 2021, when protests broke out across the country following the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The violence saw numerous Hindu temples being attacked.
Presently, Hindus make up about 8 per cent of Bangladesh's population, or around 13.1 million people. In 1951, the share of Hindus in Bangladesh's population was 22 per cent. As per a report by the Hindu American Foundation, over 11 million Hindus fled Bangladesh due to religious persecution between 1964 and 2013.
Monindra Kumar Nath, senior joint general secretary of Oikya Parishad, a Hindu outfit, said the Hindus were fearing more attacks.
"They (Hindus) are crying, saying they are being beaten up, and their houses and businesses are being looted. What is our fault? Is it our fault that we are citizens of the country?" Nath told the Daily Star.
"Where would we go if such attacks continue here? How can we console the members of the Hindu community?" he further said.
With the ouster of Hasina, there is a prospect of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami getting a strong foothold in the political sphere, prompting a possible influx of Hindu refugees.
India shares a nearly 4,096 km long land and riverine border with Bangladesh.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari has already warned the Mamata Banerjee-led government of being prepared to give refuge to one crore Hindus from Bangladesh.
"If this situation doesn't come under control, mentally be prepared to give refuge to one crore Hindu refugees. If the situation is not controlled there, Jamaat and radicals will take control," Adhikari told reporters.
BJP leader Sunil Deodhar took to X to stress that the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh should be the priority. "Widespread violence against Hindus has been reported. Regardless of the issue, whenever the sentiments of Muslims are ignited, they target only 'Kafirs' in 'their' land," Deodhar tweeted.
Addressing the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India was "deeply concerned" over the status of the minority communities in the neighbouring country and asserted that he was in touch with the Bangladesh Army.
